//The Wire//2300Z April 6, 2026//
 //ROUTINE//
 //BLUF: RESCUE MISSION OF DOWNED AIRMAN CONDUCTED IN IRAN AS MAJOR ESCALATIONS OF THE WAR EXPECTED ON TUESDAY. UNITED AIRLINES BEGINS CANCELING FLIGHTS DUE TO EXTREMELY HIGH COSTS OF AVIATION FUEL.//

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 -International Events-

Iran: A large scale rescue operation was conducted over the weekend with the goal of rescuing the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) who ejected from the F-15 which was shot down over Isfahan on Friday. The pilot was rescued quickly that same day, however the WSO was unable to be recovered. A large-scale ad hoc bombing campaign was conducted throughout Saturday morning and afternoon, as airstrikes were used to protect the downed airman until dark. Due to how far the rescue operation had to be conducted behind the lines, two MC-130 aircraft were used to set up a makeshift Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) at a small agricultural airfield. During the operation the two MC-130's were unable to take off (some reports from local Iranians indicate it may have been due to mud or sand), and another rescue team was deployed to the same FARP to rescue the rescuers. By sunrise on Sunday morning, everyone (including the downed airman) was off the ground and back within friendly airspace. After their departure, the MC-130's were destroyed via airstrike to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands intact.

Throughout the region, American bombing of targets within Iran intensified in the southwest over the weekend, as more assets were dedicated to supporting rescue operations. A handful of power plants and/or electrical substations were struck throughout Iran over the past few days as well. Iranian forces have continued to carry out attacks on American installations in Kuwait and the UAE, all of which have had some level of success.

France: Counterterrorism patrols have increased following multiple arrests in Paris, which resulted from an attempted IED attack last week. Over the weekend French officials stated that at total of 4x individuals had been arrested after attempting to conduct an explosive attack at the Bank of America building in Paris back on March 28th. Initially, three of the suspects (all juveniles) were arrested either at the scene or shortly after the incident. An additional suspect (an adult) was arrested over the weekend, who has admitted to recruiting the juveniles to carry out the attack, with himself also being a middleman and someone else providing the IED to him.

Analyst Comment: This attack failed due to the IED malfunctioning, and as a result the story did not get much traction in the media. The details provided by the fourth suspect reignited interest in the case, along with the strong indicator that the motive in this attack was terrorism (which came about after pro-Iranian terror groups claimed the attack). Considering the testimony from the adult who was arrested, it is very likely that this case is a continuation of the classic trend of a terrorist network being much larger than originally theorized.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - Following a series of strange and concerning posts on social media, President Trump stated that the targeting of civilian energy infrastructure in Iran will begin on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened to the United States.

USA: Around the nation, economic impacts of the war continue to be felt, as the average national gas price remains over $4.00 per gallon. Commercial airlines are also beginning to feel the impacts of the fuel crisis, with United Airlines canceling some lower-priority flights over the next few months due to the rising costs of jet fuel.

Analyst Comment: For additional context, United's CEO Scott Kirby stated that if fuel prices remained as they are right now, United would need to raise prices by $11 billion. According to Kirby, this is more than double the total re